Monster - Chapter 85
Chapter 85: Silver Stone City - Lilo's Poetry Collection
The mission for Madam Lilo's last words wasn't first-come, first-served; the answer was to be revealed publicly at a fixed time.
On the morning three days after Lin Sandie and the others had accepted the mission, Madam Lilo's house was surrounded by people undertaking the task. In her front yard, the agency temporarily managing her legacy items had even set up a lectern.
This confirmed Lin Sandie's suspicion: the true purpose of Madam Lilo's last words was to announce something to the world, hence all the fanfare.
At Lou's request, Lin Sandie gave her one of the black suits she had taken from the Rose Society. After putting it on, the two of them looked identical, aside from their hair color.
"Should I give you the temporal bone to wear?" Lin Sandie asked. After they applied to complete the mission, they received a slip of paper with the number 23. Lin Sandie saw that most of the mission-takers ahead of them were guessing that Madam Lilo had fallen in love with someone—some said Charles, others Julian. Someone had even found out about the married man Madam Lilo had loved. But no one had guessed that the true meaning of the sonnet was Madam Lilo's desire to reveal the secret of why people turn into monsters.
Lin Sandie realized that from the very beginning, she had been at the pinnacle of insight into this world's truth. This was thanks to the brooch her mother, Zhao Zhi, had left her, which had allowed her to see the true face of the monsters years ago, and also thanks to Lou, who had always shared her investigation results without concealment.
In fact, for a native resident of Leviathan to perceive this truth, they had to stand at a certain height to broaden their perspective to such things.
'It's a pity my abilities don't match the height of my perspective,' Lin Sandie thought.
"No need. But when I go up to speak, you go get the car and bring it to the edge. We'll leave as soon as I get the poetry collection." Chaotic scenes made Lin Sandie uncomfortable, and if she saw someone suddenly rush up to kill her, there was no guarantee she wouldn't also rush up and put a few more bullets in her.
"Got it," Lin Sandie nodded.
After straightening Lou's tie, Lin Sandie watched her walk toward the lectern in front of Madam Lilo's house, then turned and left. Miu the crow was still with Lin Sandie today.
"Did you two get together while I wasn't looking?" Miu whispered conspiratorially from Lin Sandie's shoulder.
"..." After understanding what Miu meant by "get together," Lin Sandie replied, "I'm playing a romance game with her. Anything that happens is within the permitted scope, right?"
"So you're saying you won't actually fall for her?"
"Crow Lady, I have the 'Scorpion' inside me. It's useless for me to have feelings for anyone. The emotions will just be devoured," Lin Sandie answered earnestly. "But are you asking me this because you're afraid I'll actually hurt Lou?"
"Blech..." Miu made a retching gesture. "If you could physically harm her, then I might actually be a little wary, but that's impossible right now. However, if it's about hurting her feelings, I can offer you any assistance you need."
Lin Sandie smiled and walked toward the parking area. The temperature in Silver Stone City in May was moderate, and since this was Madam Lilo's former residence, the scenery was quite pleasant. However, the numerous mission-takers milling about detracted from the sunny spring day.
"Lin Sandie, stop," Miu warned suddenly, causing Lin Sandie to pause for a moment before immediately heading in the opposite direction.
"Two people are watching you. They both have guns."
As soon as Miu finished speaking, Lin Sandie noticed a man and a woman to her side walking briskly toward her.
Lin Sandie headed toward the crowd, taking out the temporal bone and putting it on her ear.
A hollow, white human skull immediately covered Lin Sandie's head. It concealed the upper half of her face, leaving her lips, chin, and the bun at the back of her hair exposed. The bone mask only had two narrow slits for eyes.
Lin Sandie walked quickly behind Madam Lilo's house, hearing Lou's exaggerated and bombastic speech in the background.
"...This is the end of humanity, because this disease comes from the emotion of despair..."
"If you don't control your emotions, everyone will eventually turn into monsters..."
Lin Sandie took a deep breath, drew her gun from its underarm holster, and steadied herself. She asked Miu in a low voice, "Did those two follow me?"
"Yes. Don't stay here, go!"
"How much farther?"
"They're here!" Miu, startled by Lin Sandie's sudden stop, immediately notified Lou on the team channel.
Lou had entrusted her with looking after Lin Sandie.
"Bang!" Lin Sandie stepped out from the corner, raised her gun, and fired at one of her two pursuers. The man collapsed on the spot. The woman chasing her was stunned by the shot and froze.
"Bang!" Lin Sandie took advantage of the moment to shoot the woman in the thigh at close range.
"Aaaah—" The woman screamed and fired her gun wildly at Lin Sandie, who quickly dodged. But the man who had just fallen wasn't fatally wounded. He also raised his gun and fired at Lin Sandie. She was hit, but the bullets seemed to pass through her body as if it were water.
The bracelet Lou had given her earlier had immunized her against this thermal weapon attack.
Lin Sandie composed herself and fired another shot at the man's forehead before ducking down and calmly grabbing the woman, who had nearly emptied her magazine.
"You have business with me?" Lin Sandie raised the woman's hand and shot her in the forearm.
"Ah—Fuck!!!"
Her exposed chin revealed no expression, but her tone was calm and cold.
"Gunshots in the Disorder Land won't attract any curious onlookers, especially not at a time like this." Lin Sandie pressed the gun to the woman's forehead. "Why were you following me?"
"You... you're Lou from the hunting list. Isn't it normal to follow you?" the woman said, her voice trembling with pain.
"...Foolish." Lin Sandie fired a shot into her forehead.
After finishing off the two trackers, Lin Sandie stood up and asked Miu, "Do they have anything worth taking?"
"...Nope, two broke losers," Miu replied after scanning the two corpses, then reported the situation to Lou on the team channel.
To Miu's surprise, Lou seemed even calmer than it was. When Miu had just reported the situation on the "team channel," Lou had only paused for a moment before continuing her dramatic speech.
From the bottom of her heart, Lou believed Lin Sandie could handle the crisis she faced.
Lin Sandie nodded slightly and proceeded toward the car as planned.
However, Miu keenly noticed that after firing the shots, Lin Sandie's gun hand had been trembling continuously. It only gradually calmed down after she got into the car and gripped the steering wheel.
Driving to the side of Madam Lilo's yard, Lin Sandie still hadn't taken off the temporal bone. After waiting for less than fifteen minutes, Lou walked over, holding a book with a black leather cover.
"Let's go." Lou got into the passenger seat, and Lin Sandie stepped on the gas.
"What's Madam Lilo's poetry collection like?" As Lin Sandie started the car, she saw several other vehicles start to follow them in the rearview mirror. But with Lou there, she immediately took off the temporal bone and put it back in her space bag.
"It's a very nice magical item. Some magical items are powerful, but they also have negative effects that are hard to accept. This item left by Madam Lilo is well-balanced in all aspects." Lou flipped through the poetry collection in her hands while relaying its effects to Lin Sandie.
Name: Lilo's Poetry Collection
Rank: B
Lilo's beloved transcribed poems. Number of poems: 72
Positive Effects:
1. Can divine the development trend of a matter on one's mind. Accuracy: 30%. The result appears in the form of a poem.
2. Each poem has a specific buff/debuff effect on the user. The effect does not exceed 30% of the user's original attribute. Duration: 30 minutes.
Negative Effects:
Frequent use causes an urge to smoke.
After using a poem's effect, the user must stay in a comfortable indoor space. Failure to do so will result in 24 hours of persistent heart palpitations, anxiety, and difficulty breathing.
How to Use:
1. Think about the matter to be divined, close your eyes, and flip through the collection. The page you stop on after 30 seconds is the result.
2. Tear out the page of the desired poem and fold it in your pocket. The effect is automatically generated. Each poem can only be used once.
【Note: Multiple effects may trigger simultaneously】
"It's indeed good." The two magical items they had obtained in Silver Stone City both had acceptable negative effects.
"These magical items are so interesting. They carry the imprints of their former owners, making them more personal than the items we get in the Main World. You know, the ones exchanged with points in the Main World are either left by madmen or monsters." Lou turned the pages of Madam Lilo's transcribed poetry collection one by one. Although the number of poems wasn't large, each was handwritten by Madam Lilo in beautiful cursive. Some long poems even took up two or three pages, making the collection feel particularly thick.
"I see it now. Madam Lilo was a homebody," Miu added, referring to the second negative effect of the poetry collection.
"A 30% success rate for divination is a bit low, and the buffs from the poems are single-use."
"It's enough." Lou closed her eyes. "I'll try its divination effect."
The result of my search for my first Guide, code-named Little Rabbit.
The thought naturally surfaced in her mind as Lou's hand randomly flipped through the poetry collection.
After a moment, her hand stopped. A poem appeared before her.
Love at First Sight (Note 1)
They're both convinced
that a sudden passion joined them.
Such certainty is beautiful,
but uncertainty is more beautiful still.
Since they'd never met before, they're sure
that there'd been nothing between them.
But what's the word from the streets, staircases, hallways—
perhaps they've passed by each other a million times?
I want to ask them
if they don't remember—
a moment face to face in some revolving door?
perhaps a "sorry" muttered in a crowd?
a curt "wrong number" caught in the receiver?—
but I know the answer.
No, they don't remember.
They'd be amazed to hear
that Chance has been playing with them now
for years.
Not quite ready yet
to become their Destiny,
it pushed them close, drove them apart,
it barred their path,
stifling a laugh,
and then leaped aside.
There were signs and signals,
even if they couldn't read them yet.
Perhaps three years ago
or just last Tuesday
a certain leaf fluttered
from one shoulder to another?
Something was dropped and then picked up.
Who knows, maybe the ball that vanished
into childhood's thicket?
There were doorknobs and doorbells
where one touch had covered another
beforehand.
Suitcases checked and standing side by side.
One night, perhaps, the same dream,
grown hazy by morning.
Every beginning
is only a sequel, after all,
and the book of events
is always open halfway through.
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